The present invention relates generally to a product feed or dispensing apparatus and method for feeding product arranged in rows to the front edge of display shelf, so that it may be retrieved by a customer.
Products in various types of stores are commonly stored on display shelves in adjacent rows so that customers can readily see the different products, and retrieve a product conveniently for purchase. In grocery stores, refrigerated cabinets containing shelf units are provided for perishable foodstuffs, and drinks such as sodas, milk, juice and the like, with glass cabinet doors to allow customers to see the products. Cans of different types of sodas are typically arranged on such shelves in adjacent rows. However, there is a problem in feeding the product to the front of the shelf when the front item, such as a can, has been removed by the customer.
In some cases, shelves are inclined downwardly from the rear to the front end, so that products can be gravity fed to the front of the shelf. This has some disadvantages, however, since products sometimes do not slide smoothly down the shelf and can fall over, jamming the row from feeding properly. Also, customers cannot see the products on lower shelves when they are inclined downwardly. Products are more visible when the shelves are horizontal, and even more visible on the lower shelves if the shelves are inclined upwardly from the rear edge to the forward edge. However, some drive mechanism or pusher arrangement must then be provided in each row to feed product to the front of the shelf.
Various prior product feed mechanisms have been devised for grocery store shelves. In most cases, a spring loaded pusher is provided for each row of products. However, it is difficult to adjust such systems for products of different sizes and weights. Also, loading of an empty shelf can be difficult, since the operator must physically hold the pusher at the rear of the shelf while filling each row. If they accidentally release it before the shelf is filled, product may be impelled to the front of the shelf at high speed, potentially being pushed off the front edge of the shelf. Some prior art product feed mechanisms of this general type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,237 of Richardson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,942 of Bernardin, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,869 of Hawkinson, for example.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved product feed apparatus and method for product display and dispensing shelves in grocery stores and the like.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a product feed apparatus for feeding products or items arranged in rows on a shelf to the front edge of the shelf is provided, which comprises an elongate track adapted to be mounted on a rectangular shelf unit so as to extend from a rear edge to a front edge of the shelf unit, the track having opposite sides, a forward end, and a rear end, a pusher member slidably mounted in the track for movement from the rear edge to the front edge of the track, the pusher member having a front end, a pusher plate for engaging a rear surface of the rearmost product of a row of products supported on the track, and a biasing assembly for biasing the pusher member towards the front edge of the track, the biasing assembly comprising a plurality of identical, elongate spring or biasing elements for selectively securing to the pusher member to extend from the pusher member to an anchor on the track. In an exemplary embodiment, the biasing assembly may include a pair of rollers mounted side by side adjacent the front edge of the track, each roller having at least two circumferential grooves, a first anchor at the front end of the pusher member, and at least one second anchor positioned adjacent the rear end of on each side of the track. Each resilient element extends from the pusher member around a respective one of the rollers and then rearwardly along a respective side of the track back to a respective second anchor. Each biasing element engages in a respective groove in a roller, whereby an operator can adjust the spring force applied to the pusher member by varying the number of biasing elements in the biasing assembly by selectively extending a greater or lesser number of biasing elements from the pusher member, around a respective roller, and up to a respective second anchor.
If the rollers each have two grooves for receiving up to two biasing elements, then the operator can choose to mount zero, one, or two biasing elements on each side of the track, so that any number of biasing elements from one to four may be used. A greater number of grooves may be provided for further increase in the biasing force. The biasing elements may be linear tension, rope type springs. Thus, rather than providing a number of different size springs having different spring constants, which would be more expensive and require the operator to test the pusher member with various different springs to determine the optimum spring constant for each product, the operator does not have to select between different springs in this arrangement, but simply adds or removes identical springs until an optimum advancing force is provided.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the pusher member has a spring loaded latch element movable between a raised position and a downwardly extending, locking position, the spring biasing the latch element into the locking position. The track has a base having a series of holes, and the latch element engages in one of the holes when in the locking position. When products are loaded in a row in front of the pusher member, the rearmost product will force the latch element into the raised position, allowing the pusher member to advance along the track. With this arrangement, the operator does not have to hold the pusher member at the rear end of the track initially when it is pushed back after all product has been emptied from the track. Instead, it will be automatically locked in this position when no product is present. Also, if the operator accidentally lets go of the pusher member while retracting it, it will not suddenly shoot or fly forward along the track, but will be locked in position where it is released.
The track is adapted to be arranged side-by-side on a shelf unit adjacent other, identical tracks, so that plural rows of different products can be loaded across the entire width of the shelf unit. Dividers may be mounted on the shelf on opposite sides of the track, to separate the row of product on that track from adjacent rows. Alternatively, for wider products such as six packs of soda, gallon size containers of milk and other beverages, pizza boxes, and the like, two or more tracks may be mounted side by side with dividers on the outer sides of the outermost tracks only, with two or more pusher members acting on the rearmost product to push it forwards. This also provides additional pushing force and a more uniform distribution of force across the width of the product.
The pusher plates may be releasably engaged on the pusher member, so that different size and shape pusher plates may be used, depending on the shape and size of product to be advanced. The latch member has a portion which protrudes forwardly from the pusher plate when in the locked position, so as to be pushed rearwardly as the product is loaded onto the track, simultaneously lifting the latch member from the track and into the raised position, allowing the pusher member to urge the row of products forwards when an item is retrieved from the front of the shelf unit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of feeding a row of products towards the front edge of a shelf is provided, which comprises the steps of:
mounting at least one elongate track on a shelf so as to extend from the rear edge to the front edge of the shelf;
retracting a spring-loaded pusher member slidably mounted on the track to a rear end of the track;
locking the pusher member in the retracted position with a latch member against a spring force urging it towards the front edge of the shelf;
loading a row of products onto the track in front of the pusher member, the latch member being automatically released by the loading of products; and
biasing the pusher member towards the front edge of the shelf, whereby the row of products is advanced to the front edge each time a product is removed from the front of the row.
The method may include varying the number of springs attached to the pusher member so as to change the biasing force on the pusher member dependent on the size and weight of product to be advanced. Also, two or more tracks may be mounted side by side and a single row of larger products may be loaded onto the adjacent tracks, with the pusher members on all the tracks acting against the rearmost product in the row.
The product feed apparatus and method of this invention will reliably feed products to the front edge of a shelf in a grocery store or the like, with the shelves being arranged horizontally or inclined upwardly. The number of springs used can be readily adjusted to provide a greater or lesser spring force on the pusher member, depending on the size and weight of product to be advanced. The tracks can be readily mounted side by side without separating walls or dividers, so that two or more tracks support a single row of larger products. This apparatus is therefore readily adaptable for products of various sizes, weights, and shapes.